Pushing Through
by Mobius97
Summary: Complete Formally Time Marches, What is the end result when dealing with the grief of loss and the desire for revenge. Chapter 7 is up.
1. Prologue

A/N Hope you enjoy this piece of work. Read and Review at your leisure.

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_Atop a small hill, a hooded individual stood, unmoving. Trees strained and groaned as the wind swept quickly through them. It was grey, it was dreary, and it was a perfect match for the man's mood. The wind howled once again trying to dislodge him from his spot, he did not move. _

"Ready to go Ron?" The young man turned and smiled at the sound of his best friend's voice.

"Almost KP, just have to find my belt." He dug under a pile of clothes and found the wayward article. "There we go, all set."

"Good we can't keep our ride waiting forever." They headed outside and towards the idling chopper.

"You know I'm not happy about this." Ron stated as he climbed in. "I mean how rude is it for Drakken and Shego to interrupt Naco Night."

"We'll stop their latest take over the world and be back in plenty of time for Naco Night."

"Yeah ok, I guess." He pouted. "It's still rude." Kim could only smile.

The chopper took off in a dizzying ascent, requiring both of the teens to hang on tight. The ride took less time then they figured as Drakken's lair came into view. What it lacked in location and security it made up in sheer gaudiness.

"I'll never understand why he doesn't post like guards or security cameras or something." He stepped up to the door. "You sure this is safe KP."

"Just makes it easier for us to get in." Answering his first question as she clipped the cord to her. "And yes I'm sure this is safe." With that she stepped out into space. The ground came rushing up at her, then slowed rapidly as the cord around her legs pulled tight. She bounced several times before cutting herself loose. With a quick flip she landed in a low crouch. Looking around quickly she didn't see Ron.

"Uh Kim, little help here." He was hanging upside down from a tree, his tether hopelessly tangled. She sprang up onto the branch and pulled out a pair of cutters and made quick work of the tether.

"Ahhhh." Ron landed in a heap, Kim landed gently beside him.

"Sorry Ron didn't have much in the way of options."

"Not to worry it's all good." He stood up and dusted himself off. "Alright time to take the bad guys down." His fist punching into his palm.

_The weather had grown steadily worse as the man continued to stand on the hilltop. Lighting rolled across the sky as the wind once again picked up. Glaring at the sky he would leave when he was ready and not before. _

They easily made their way inside the lair and to the main chamber. Dr Drakken was entering into his usual rant about taking over the world. Shego not surprisingly paid little attention to him.

"Shego you aren't even listening. This is my greatest idea ever. Nobody will be able to stop me this time."

"Right Dr. D. I'll get right on printing the victory flyers."

"Why must you rain on my parade?" Drakken's face fell. "This plan is foolproof."

"Nothing is foolproof to a thoroughly dedicated fool." Ron stood atop a nearby crate.

"Ah, Shego it's what's his name, the sidekick." Shego lit her hands as Drakken looked around the room. "If he's here then where is she?" Ron merely pointed above them. They looked up in time to see Kim overloading the main breakers.

"Oh no you don't princess." Several blasts launched from her fists.

"To late Shego maybe next time." Kim dodged the plasma blasts and landed next to her. Smiling she kicked out and caught Shego in the stomach.

The dark haired woman landed heavily against the far wall. Her eyes flared with anger as she glowered at her opponent. Collecting herself she charged swinging high in a feint, then dropping low for a sweep. Kim ducked the swing and flipped away from the sweep only to be knocked down as a portion of the wall exploded.

The breakers were overloading but instead of disabling the power grid the lines began to feedback. The power conduits had begun to overheat. The increased temperature caused nearby gas mains to rupture and explode. Things were beginning to spin out of control.

"KP I think it is time to get out of here."

"I agree." Picking herself up. "This place is going to go up big time." Another explosion added emphasis to her comment.

They began running towards their own exit, only a few more feet and they would be clear. The ground beneath them groaned and fractured into a large crevasse. Ron managed to keep his balance and leapt the hole. He turned back to see if he could help Kim.

"Who puts a deep dark hole under the main room of there lair. That is just sick and wrong."

"Now is not the time Ron. Look out so I can jump over." As she prepared to jump a huge explosion blasted her back against the far wall knocking her unconscious.

The same blast had knocked Ron off of his feet as well as burning his exposed skin. Getting to his feet, he saw her through the fog of pain lying on the floor. "KP." He jumped back across and raced for her. The floor had become extremely unstable making it difficult to run as holes were now appearing randomly. His luck ran out as his foot broke through the floor tripping him.

On all fours he scrambled towards Kim, the floor was now more holes then anything. At last he was one hole away from her. The part she laid on was not big enough to jump onto so he stretched out to grab her. His fingers danced over her arm as he strained. The floor creaked once and failed, Kim began to fall. Desperately Ron clutched at her, managing some how to grab her arm.

"Come on KP wake up." He pleaded. "I can't pull you up without help." His grip slipped ever so slightly down her arm. The pain of his burned flesh barely registering. "Oh man, come on." His muscles screamed at him but he refused to let go, he wouldn't fail her. "I can hold on Kim but you have to climb up." An eternity passed as he clung to her, slowly he realized he was down to her hand. "Please KP wake up." Fatigue was setting in. He could no longer sustain the grip. Her fingers started to slide past his. "COME ON KP." Tears were forming in his eyes. "You're a Possible, you can do anything." Then there was nothing left to hang onto.

He watched in horror as she faded into the darkness. His last image was of her hair gently flowing around her.

_The rain came down in drones soaking the man to the bone. He hadn't moved in over an hour. Slowly he reached down and placed his hand on the stone letting it rest for a moment before placing it back into his pocket._

"_I'll be back tomorrow, same time as always."_

_Ron Stoppable slowly walked away leaving behind a single headstone on a lonely wind swept hill top._


	2. Chapter 1

He walked down a street he had walked down thousands of times before. Most had been during happier times, now though, well things were different. Sure everything was the same, the houses, the yards, everything but one person, one family. He stopped in front of the house, a house he had spent more time in then his own, a house he hadn't set foot in for months. The walks he took always brought him here with a purpose and every time he walked away. He couldn't face them, not after he had let them down. Gravel crunched under his feet as he turned to leave once again. A door opened and he was bathed in artificial light.

"Who's there?"

He considered running but he had done so much of that lately he found he no longer had the energy to do so. Turning back he looked at the gentleman in the doorway, the man looked as if he had aged 10 years in the six months since the last time he had seen him. Pulling his hood back he approached.

"It's just me Mr. Dr. P."

"Ronald, it's good to see you. Come in." His tone told Ron that he wasn't being given a choice. He walked past him and into the house; it was the same as he remembered, every sound, every smell. "Have a seat."

Taking a spot on the couch he wasn't sure what he was even doing. He had only thought about knocking on the door never about what he would say to them. Thankfully he didn't have to speak first.

"It's been awhile, what have you been doing with yourself?" The question was simple enough and yet he wasn't sure how to answer.

"I've just been doing, mostly school, sort of." His grades had been bad before, but now he would be lucky to even finish high school. "Look I really should be going I'm sorry to have bothered you."

"You don't need to run off Ron. You were always part of this family and you still are."

"I don't belong here, not anymore, not after what I did." His head hung as he rested his arms on his knees. The sleeve of his jacket pulled up slightly showing the scars from the burns. "I can't be part of a family that I took something away from."

"Stop." The tone was gentle and yet it held power behind it. "Ronald you cannot go on blaming yourself for what happened. You didn't blow the building up, you didn't break the floor away, you did everything you could."

"It wasn't enough." The tears began to form in his eyes. "I failed the one person who meant more to me then anything else in the world." The tears were falling in hot streams down his face.

It tore at James Possible to see the young man before him destroyed in such a way. He was never very good at the emotional conversations, preferring to let his wife handle them. Diving deep within himself he looked for the right words.

"At some point we all fail, nobody succeeds every time." Mr. Possible's eyes sharpened. "We don't blame you for what happened and I know she wouldn't either. To continue blaming yourself isn't fair to her or to what she tried to do."

"I know but it is just so hard." His voice cracked as he continued. "I've lost a part of me, something I never imagined I could lose and what makes it worse is that you've lost it to." Taking a deep breath to regain some semblance of control he raised his head. "I'm just not sure what to do anymore."

"My pain is not the same as yours. I've lost a daughter; you lost the love of your life. One is no more important then the other, just different. All I can tell you is to do what you've always done, be yourself." Mr. Possible got up and headed into the kitchen. "You want something to drink Ronald."

"No I'm ok." He sat there thinking about what had been said. Deep down he wanted to believe, he just wasn't sure he could any longer. At first he wasn't even aware he was doing it but he found himself walking up the stairs, stairs that lead to one place.

He stood before the door unsure of what he would find on the other side. He was surprised to find that his hand didn't shake as he reached for the handle despite how nervous he felt. With a familiar click the door swung open and he stood looking into a room he had spent many hours in. Everything was as he remembered it, the Possibles had left it just as it was the day they went on that mission. He leaned against the doorframe as he took it all in. Time had stopped in this room and for a moment Ron felt if he turned he would find Kim standing next to him. This wasn't possible though, even for a Possible. It was several minutes before he realized that somebody was standing behind him.

"How long have you been there?"

"A while."

"Why did you leave it like this?" Ron was trying hard to keep his voice from cracking again.

"To remind us of who she was." A sad chuckle escaped Mr. Possible's lips. "Actually packing it up would make it all final and none of us are ready for that." He clasped a hand onto Ron's shoulder. "I'll be downstairs when you're done." With that he silently moved off.

Looking around the room he spotted knick knacks from various missions and awards from school, each one holding a memory. His eyes came to rest on an object sitting on the dresser. Gently he reached out as if afraid his movement would damage the item, he took it in his hand. It was a locket, a locket he had give to Kim on her last birthday. Carefully he opened it and looked on the picture inside. It was of the two of them taken shortly after they had started dating. The memory broke what strength he had left and he collapsed to the floor with a sob. He sat there for several minutes clutching the locket to his chest as the tears flowed down his cheeks.

After regaining his composure he slowly placed the locket back on the dresser. He didn't want to let go in the hopes that through it he would have her still. Quietly he left the room and went back downstairs. Mr. Dr. Possible was sitting in his chair; he turned to look at Ron.

"It's never easy remembering."

"Yeah." Was all he managed to get out. After several awkward moments he spoke again. "I really should be going, school tomorrow."

"Ok, don't forget Ronald we will always be here."

"I won't." As he said the words he wasn't sure if he would come back or not. Walking out into the cool night air he pulled his coat tighter around him trying to keep the cold at bay and to close the hole in his heart. He succeeded in doing one.


	3. Chapter 2

Time stands still for no man, regardless of tragedy, Ron Stoppable knew he was no exception. It had been six long months since that fateful day. At first everyone had something to say to him, some to say how sorry they were others to say they had spoken to a fallen hero. He greeted all of them with the same indifference, an indifference that had taken over most aspects of his life.

Sighing he made his way towards the main doors of the school. Now-a-days most people paid him no mind, which was fine by him. Merging with the crowd as they filed into the building Ron was just another form in the mass.

"Ron my man you up for some hoops this morning?" Felix wheeled up to him, his ever ready grin on. Where most had been willing to let Ron slip into the darkness of depression, Felix had done everything he could to keep things as close to the way they were as possible.

"Not really. I'm just going to head to class."

"Look Ron I know you're still hurting and I'm not going to pretend I know how you feel but"

"That's right you don't know, nobody knows. Just let me deal with this in my own way."

"Your way. Look at yourself man, you don't sleep, you barely eat, and when you are in class you don't pay attention. This way isn't working." Felix was close to coming out of his chair and grabbing Ron by the collar. "She's gone but that doesn't mean you have to be to."

"She's gone because of me. Don't you understand that?" He towered over Felix staring down at him.

"No I don't because whether you want to believe it or not it wasn't your fault." Ron fell back against the lockers, his hands covering his face.

"I just miss her so much."

"We all do Ron." Monique walked up to the two. "If you two are going to continue this conversation though I would either suggest moving to a more secluded spot or keeping your voices down."

"It's my fault; I pushed him a little too hard." Felix put his hand on Ron's arm. "I'm sorry man."

"It's no big." A sad chuckle escaped his lips. Looking up he saw Monique showing a small smile. "What?"

"Even though my girl isn't here, she still has some influence on you. We better get to class before the bell rings and Barkin gives us all detention." Walking away she looked back at the two. "I'll see you guys later."

"You better get moving Felix no sense in you getting into trouble over me."

"Alright, I'll make sure to save you a seat at lunch but only if you get to class yourself." Flashing a grin he took off down the hall.

Popping open the door to his locker he gazed upon the picture that hung on the door. It was of Kim after one of there outings to some place or another. The destinations never mattered to him, only the company. He stood there staring at the picture for how long he couldn't say. The sound of beeping brought him out of his revere.

"Oh great I'm late for class, detention here I come." He sullenly slammed the locker shut when he realized that the beeping wasn't the school bell. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out the kimmunicator. His finger stabbed the activation button. "What is it Wade?"

"There's something you need to see." Wade prepared himself for the onslaught that was about to ensue.

"I've told you before Wade, I'm done. I don't do the hero thing anymore."

"I know but you still need to see this." He put as much force into his voice as he could.

"What ever it is send it to GJ or who ever and let them deal with it." Ron was starting to get irritated. Wade had given him room at first but then began trying to get him to take on missions. It had taken only two or three calls before Ron had lost his cool and told the little techno guru off. Needless to say it had been a rough couple of months between the two.

"This doesn't concern them, it concerns you."

"Fine, show me what ever it is that you need me to see so I can get to class." The tardy bell sounded at that moment. "Just great, now I really am late. Are you going to show me the video or not?" Wade's image was replaced by the beginning frame of the video, His voice came through over the video.

"This was footage from a lab over on the west coast." The video began playing. "Over the last several weeks several labs have been hit around the country. The assailants have been taking the scientists."

As the video continued to play Ron watched as a scientist came into view just as the wall opposite the camera disintegrated. The smoke from the explosion covered who ever the attacker was. Ron was about to tell Wade off for having him watch even this much since it was obvious it had nothing to do with him when something caught his attention.

"What the heck was that?"

"Just keep watching."

The video was still grainy due to the smoke and power fluctuations from the explosion. Then it happened, a brief gap in the smoke and the figure was completely exposed. There was no doubt as to who he was looking at. Shego was standing among the chaos she had created grinning maniacally.

"Where?"


	4. Chapter 3

A/N: 4/12/06 Well I think I've kept all of you waiting long enough. I apologize to all of you who have been reading this story. Lately I've only been able to write in a notebook and just haven't gotten around to transfering it to the computer. This means that I have tons of stories written I just can't post them yet. I'm looking a much easier couple of months so I plan on getting this story and my other one All For You done and then getting on to some others. Enjoy.

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"I don't have a location yet but I should by the time your ride gets there."

Ron barely heard the comment as he dug through the disaster he called a locker. Sifting through pile after pile of junk he finally came upon the item he was searching for. Pulling it free he carefully set it on the ground, opening it he stared at his mission clothes, still singed and torn from his last mission. The feel of the fabric brought back the memories he had tried so hard to bury.

"This ones for you Kim. I'll make them pay for taking you away." Not caring if anyone saw he changed into his mission close there in the hallway. Holstering his grappling gun the muted droning of helicopter blades began to fill the area. "Guess it's time to go." A grunt responded to his statement. Looking down he saw Rufus sitting in his pocket. "You're not coming little buddy." A glare answered him. "This isn't a normal mission. Things are going to be…different."

"Huk No Way." The little rodent squeaked, crossing his arms. Ron could see the look in Rufus's eyes and knew that they matched his own.

"Ok then, let's go." Rushing out the main doors he squinted skyward as the chopper came in for a landing. Scrambling aboard he pulled out the kimmunicator and opened the channel. "Where am I going Wade?" The roar of the engine powering back up almost drowned out the response.

"Looks like an abandoned research facility in Wyoming." Ron placed his hand on the pilots shoulder and leaned in.

"You catch that."

"Yes Sir."

"Good get us there." Ron fell back into his seat not bothering to strap in.

He closed his eyes but any type of rest evaded him, thoughts of what he was going to encounter plagued him, not to mention what he planned to do. The sound of his jaw popping made him aware of how aggravated he was becoming. His breathing slowed and his muscles loosened as he began to perform a relaxation technique he had picked up at Yamanochi. Tension flowed from every pore in his body and yet it did not fully leave.

He sat unmoving for over an hour. He didn't notice at first but another sensation had begun to fill the void left by the tension, the dull ache of loss. He was going on a mission and Kim wasn't there with him. Thinking back he could see her on all of the missions they had done, how strong she had been and beautiful. A buzzer brought him back to the current situation.

"We are Red lit sir, coming up on the drop zone." The glow from the red bulb cast odd shadows on the man's face.

Ron acknowledged with a nod of his head. He stood and checked the straps on his pack, everything checked out. He shuffled past the crew chief as he moved to the door. The chief was making some last minute checks on his own safety gear. When he finished he tugged and pulled on the various harnesses that were attached to Ron, satisfied he moved to the latch for the door.

"Thirty seconds." Came the shout from the pilot.

"Gear checks out. You're good to go Stoppable." With that the chief flung the door open. Cold wind swirled around, threatening to pull them from the aircraft. The chief merely stuck his head out the door, clearly unconcerned.

Ron stood looking out at the inky black ground as it sped past. Normally the sight would have scared him half to death but at the moment he was only filled with determination. Two steps brought him to the edge of the door.

Green flashed above him and a hand pounded down on his shoulder. "GO, GO, GO." The wind got its wish as he leapt from the chopper.

A high pitched whistle of rushing air filled his helmet as he raced towards the ground. He had been slowly counting down from the moment he had left the aircraft, when he reached zero he tugged his ripcord. The chute filled above him with a jerk, slowing his descent. Immediately he knew he was in trouble. His gear was working fine but he was going to over shoot his landing sight. Normally this would not have been a problem but tonight his sight was a small clearing, surrounded by trees. He could not risk landing in them.

At just over a hundred feet he did the only thing he could think of, he cut his straps. From that height a normal person would have been lucky to survive, Ron had never been normal and even more so in recent years. Blue pulsed around him as he smashed into the ground. He stayed kneeling for several moments listening for any sounds of approaching patrols. Satisfied that his less then stealthy landing hadn't drawn any unwanted attention he headed towards the lair.

The kimmunicator appeared in his hand as he approached the tree line. "How do I get in?"

"There should be a ventilation duct about 60 yards in front of you." Wade tapped a few keystrokes. "When you get to it hold up the kimmunicator and I'll run scans for traps. Currently I'm not detecting any traps or people, looks like smooth sailing to the duct." He leaned back and took a pull from his pop.

"Ok, let me know if anything pops up." The screen went blank as Ron slipped the device back into his pocket.

His eyes narrowed as he stalked forward towards the vent. It took several minutes to reach the outcropping that held the vent which surprised him since it had been close. The reason why struck him as he realized he hadn't heard himself moving through the underbrush.

A smirk briefly found its way to his face. "Guess those lessons from Yamanochi really did sink in, eh Rufus." The little mole rat scampered up to Ron's shoulder. He quickly checked around then nodded at Rufus. "Pop the top on this sucker."

With an affirmative grunt he leapt onto the grate and slid through. Several rattles later the cover dropped from its perch, reveling Rufus shaking his hands above his head. The penlight flickered to life in Ron's hand, its beam sweeping down the shaft.

"Well I don't see anything but that really isn't my department. What've you got for me Wade?" The blue device hung loosely in his grasp.

"Give me a second." An eerie green filled the shaft briefly as the scanning beam did its job. A moment latter the unit beeped.

"Was that a good beep or a bad beep?"

"It's clear Ron. I'm going to lose contact with you when you get lower into the base. The surrounding geological strata contain high concentrations of hematite." A puzzled look greeted the explanation.

"School words Wade."

"There's a lot of metal in the rocks and it is going to interfere with the signal." Wade held back a smirk, some things never changed.

"Ok good to know. Give me a ten minute head start before sending in the cavalry. I figure that will give me enough time to get the scientists out but not so much that we have to hang around."

"Sounds good Ron." He paused for a moment. "And give them a couple for me." Ron nodded sharply at the screen before shoving it in his pocket.

The vent stared at him, its gaping black maw waiting to consume him. It struck him that the blackness he stood in front of might represent the path he could be taking. "To hell with it." Scooping up Rufus he jumped head first into the waiting mouth.


	5. Chapter 4

The crawl was long and not surprisingly extremely dark. Even with the use of a light the darkness surrounded and closed in on him, making the crawl somewhat unnerving. It was hot and exhausting, he hadn't realized how out of shape he'd become. Sweat was running down his face by the time he reached the first opening. Peering through the grate he saw an empty and rather bland hallway.

"Evil villains never have any flare for design. Everything looks so dull." Rufus nodded in agreement before preceding down the vent. Further down, they came to a T junction. "Hmm, what do you think Rufus?" The little mole rat scampered up to the junction and looked around, after a moment he pointed to the right. "Ok let's go."

The vent began to gently slope downward making the crawl easier. Coming to the lowest point in the system Ron peered through the grate, he could just make out a figure standing below him. Gently he popped the cover from its place and pulled it in to the vent with him. Thankfully the guard was tired and didn't hear the slight yet distinctive sound of metal on metal. Painstakingly he pulled himself out of the duct work and hung above the man like a hawk circling its prey. At any other time that thought would have made him laugh. After a moment he dropped, it was over before it started. Two dull thumps and the guard lay on the ground in an unmoving pile. Careful to check his surroundings, he quickly found the hallway empty of both people and cameras.

"Probably should have checked for surveillance before I came out." He commented to no one in particular. Roughly he grabbed the goon lying at his feet and slung him over his shoulder. "Man this guy needs to go on a diet."

Dropping him unceremoniously on the floor of the first room he came to Ron checked the blueprints that Wade had downloaded to the kimmunicator. The prints only gave him an idea of what the lair looked like, unfortunately not where the missing scientists were.

"Looks like this is our best bet for a holding area." Ron pointed to an area on the screen. "I'll check it out; you try to find Drakken and Shego." He got a thumbs up from his little pink friend. "Nothing fancy ok, you find them and then you find me." A nod was his response as he slipped out the door.

Making his own way into the hall Ron once again checked for signs of henchmen. Finding none he continued on towards the area he hoped held the scientists. His going was slow as he stopped every few steps to listen for anyone moving around. Luck was on his side as he had heard no sound of guards. Looking at the small device in his hands he found that he was just around the corner from the rooms that he sought. As he began to step out a voice caused his breath to catch in his throat. His imagination had gotten the better of him though as he realized that the sound was far to muffled to be in the hall with him.

Moving into the new hallway he pressed against the wall trying his best to flatten himself. The first door steadily approached, for a brief moment he wondered which door he had heard the voice from. Reaching for the door handle the next door down clicked open. He was stuck in an open hall with no place to hide. Quickly he tried the handle but the door was locked. Fear and disappointment rocked him, he was going to be found and he still hadn't found the hostages. He crushed his eyes shut as he prayed for "if I can't see you, you can't see me".

"I'm going to enjoy what we have in store for you." That was it he had been seen, no sense hiding anymore. A deep breath flowed into him as he stepped away from the wall and prepared to fight. His eyes opened only to find the back of a red and black clothed henchman. The man hadn't been talking to him but to someone in the room. Taking advantage of the situation as it was Ron surged forward and smashed a fist into the base of his neck. A groan was all the sound heard as he crumpled to the floor at Ron's feet.

"Whew, that was closer then I would have liked. Ok buddy lets see what you've got." Ron patted around quickly and found what he was hoping for. "All right a keycard. Now let's see what's behind door number one." Dragging the thug with him he swiped the card and waited for the ever consistent beep. He was mildly disappointed when all he heard was the lock clicking open. Shrugging he drug the pile of muscle with him. The room was bare except for the small bed and wash station against the far wall and the huddling white mass in one of the corners.

"Don't mind me I'm just keeping the hallways clear." The woman looked up at the sound of his voice and Ron felt the pit of his stomach drop. He had seen many things during his time fighting freaks and villains but he never expected this.

Her hair hung in matted clumps framing a face that was close to being one continuous bruise. Both lips were swollen and cracked from what had to be often and severe beatings. Dried blood covered the front of the white lab coat that was anything but white now. It took everything he had to keep from running away and being sick. He took a deep breath before approaching further.

"Are you ok?" The question sounded stupid the moment he got it out, of course she wasn't ok. He dropped down on knee next to her. "Can you tell me your name?" She flinched and buried her face as if the words had struck her. "I'm not going to hurt you I'm going to get you out of here." The woman continued to press her face into her knees. "Trust me." His voice barely came out as a whisper. Cautiously he placed his hand against hers. Slowly her fingers wrapped around his then she was in his arms clutching on for dear life. Ron simply held her not knowing what else to do.

"It's going to be ok." He stated several minutes later, hoping to rouse her enough to get moving. "I need to know something first." She looked up at him. "Are all of the other scientists on this floor?" A slow nod answered him.

"Ok you stay here while I get them." Her grip tightened. "It'll be ok; you'll be safe in here." He flashed a goofy grin. "I promise."

She relaxed and reluctantly let go of him. Carefully he leaned out through the doorway, checking both directions in the hall. Stepping out he worked his way towards the other rooms. At each door he stopped and swiped the card. Most of the rooms were empty and showed no signs of having been used. In the rest he found what he was looking for. The other scientists showed similar signs of abuse but none to the extent of the women. He hid them in the first room until he was certain he had found them all.

"Ok the GJ rescue team will be here in a few so all we have to do is get out of here. I haven't seen to many guards and it looks as though there aren't any cameras, so best plan looks to be walking right out the front door. If we get spotted I'll do what I do best and distract them while you all make a break for it. Any questions?" He looked around the ragged group but none had anything to say. "Good because I don't think I have any answers. Let's go home."

The group moved down the hallway as one, fear evident on all of them including the young leader. As they continued on Ron was becoming nervous by the almost complete lack of guards. Coming to yet another corner he turned to one of the scientist, a short round man with a funny little mustache.

"How many guards are around here?"

"Since I have to guess I'd say around 20 or so." His voice bordered on nasal.

"Any idea as to where they might be?" The man simply shook his head. "Well here's to hoping they are all on break."

With a deep breath he took the step out and around the corner. While they had yet to see any guards there were plenty of others that need to be avoided. Several areas contained labs housing many of Drakken's paid scientists. Those Ron avoided when they could and snuck past when they could not.

Despite their cautious exit the ragtag group was making good time. They all were beginning to feel that they would make it to the surface undetected when the whoosh of a door sounded up ahead. The group froze, fear radiated from them, they were trapped in the open. Even if they had some place to hide it was doubtful that they could make it there in the condition they were in. Gently easing his head around the corner, Ron chanced a look to see what was going on. A guard was thankfully walking in the opposite direction. Ron started to breathe a sigh of relief until he spotted the man carrying something, a tray of food.

"I thought you said we had everybody." He didn't even try to hide the accusatory tone in his voice.

"We do, everybody that was kidnapped to work on this project is right here." The little man's said indignantly.

"Then why did I just see that guard carrying a tray of food?"

"Perhaps he was taking it to a co-worker." He replied rolling his eyes.

"No this was defiantly food for a prisoner." Ron thought for a moment. "Ok new plan, you all head for the elevator. GJ should be here in a minute to pull us out, just get to the ground floor and sit tight. I'm going to check out who our mystery hostage is." As he started to move off the little scientist grabbed his arm. "Look I know this isn't the greatest plan, but it is all I've got at the moment." Something on his shoulder nodded. Ron realized he had been out of the game for to long if Rufus had managed to catch up and climb on to his shoulder without him noticing. "Just stay in the shadows and you'll be fine."

"Very well." With that the man turned and began whispering to his fellow scientists.

Ron slipped away from the group. Truth be told he wasn't sure that the food wasn't for one of the other henchmen, he hadn't gotten a good enough look at it to tell where it might be going. He felt bad about lying to them but he need to get away from them so he could take care of other matters.

"Guess I should make a quick detour to see if there is another hostage shouldn't I." The little mole rat nodded. Staying in the shadows didn't prove difficult as the section of the lair they were in was poorly lit. "Sure looks like a dungeon."

He held back as the guard stopped to open one of the cells. The door thankfully opened towards him blocking the man's view of his approach. Stopping he listened to what was being said in the cell, from what he could hear it was a one sided conversation.

With a final snort the thug came back out of the room. "Oh man that never gets old." His mirth changed to surprise as he came nose to nose with Ron.

"Tell me about it dude, nothin better then treating someone like dirt." The smile on his face dropped to a frown as he drove his forehead into the man's nose. The crack echoed off the walls adding to his misery. The last thing the goon saw through the tears in his eyes was a gloved fist.

Ron stepped over the heap and into the room. The air was stale and bordering on fetid, who ever was in the room had been there awhile. As he continued in something set off every fiber in his body. He wondered if it might be a trap but doubted it. In the corner he spotted the hostage. The scuffing of his feet caused the person to shudder.

"It's ok I'm here to get you out." The moan that emanated from the shape haunted him. He had never heard a sound like it before. He pulled out his pen light so he could check to see if they were tied down or not.

The extra light drew the person's attention up towards it. Squinting at it they tried to figure out what was going on. It only shown for a moment before the light clattered to the floor. It rolled to a stop silhouetting a mane of red hair.


	6. Chapter 5

Time froze between the two. One not understanding what they were seeing, the other simply shocked into place. Shadows played across them as the light continued its path along the floor adding to the confusion. Their eyes were locked to one another, neither moved nor blinked. Ron managed to collect himself enough and took a tentative step towards her. Then as a bursting dam he rushed forward wrapping his around Kim.

"Kim!" He chocked out as tears began to fall. He held her for what seem like hours before leaning back so that he could see her face. Shock was evident on his face as he looked over her. Where once had been a petite yet strong young woman was now a mere skeleton. It didn't matter to him; all that mattered was that she was back. "I thought I'd lost you." He looked into her eyes but all that greeted him was a vacant stare. "KP?"

The sound of her Ron only nickname snapped her back to reality. "Ron?" Her hand cautiously reached up and stroked his cheek. Ron could see the glow returning to her eyes, but just as quickly it turned to stone cold venom. "No." The ice in her voice chilled the air.

Using strength she didn't look to have she shoved Ron away from her. He landed flat on his back, staring up at the now angry woman. "It isn't going to work Drakken, I'm not falling for this a second time." Pure hatred poured from her as she looked down at Ron. "And you, you….abomination. I'm going to tear you apart." With that she lunged at him.

Ron was still in shock at the reaction from Kim. He had blamed himself for losing her and had expected others to feel the same way, but deep down he didn't think Kim would blame him. The facts however told a different story as Kim attacked him because of his failure to her. He managed to roll clear of her attack but only because of instinct. Part of him wanted her to hurt him for not saving her.

She continued to throw her self at him; her attacks were wild rather then thought out, like an animal. The logical part of Ron won out as he began to defend himself. Even in her weakened state it was taking everything he had to simply block or avoid her strikes. He knew that eventually one of them was going to get hurt if this fight kept up and that it was likely to be him, since he had no intention of fighting back.

Luck gave him an out however. As Kim came at him again with a haymaker she stumbled on the uneven floor, her fatigued legs unable to catch her, and crashed down into a heap. Ron wasted no time in diving on top of her and wrapping her back up.

Lying tangled on the floor the two struggled briefly before what was left of Kim's strength fled. He could hear her whimper at being unable to break free. The sound tore into him, he never wanted to do anything to hurt her.

"Kim." His voice floated around the darkened room. "I'm sorry."

"Don't give me that you fake." She renewed her struggle. "Go jump back into the goo pit where you belong and leave me alone."

Ron would never be considered the swiftest of individuals, but even he was starting to realize that she thought he was…

"I'm not a synthodrone."

"I'm not going to play your game Drakken give it up."

He wasn't quite sure how he was going to get her to believe him. First though he need to get up to a more comfortable position. Careful not to lose his grip he rolled up onto his knees. Then moving his hands to her shoulders he pinned Kim gently to the wall.

"Just leave me alone." Came her tired and defeated voice. "Ron's dead, watched him die." Her words seemed directed and no one but herself.

She was retreating inside herself and if he didn't figure out a way to prove who he was. Well he didn't really want to consider that. As she was no longer struggling he shifted away from her. Doing so caused an object in his pocket to shift and an idea struck him. Reaching in he pulled the object out and with a click extended the blade of his pocket knife. It wasn't the best idea but it was all you had.

"Kim." Her chin continued to rest on her chest as she mumbled. "Kim I need you to see something." He touched her cheek, which brought her eyes up.

Upon seeing the blade she pushed back against the wall, trying to get way. "It isn't for you, it's for me." With that he drew the knife across the tip of his finger. A red dot immediately began to form.

Kim glanced from his finger to his face and back again, confusion evident in her eyes. Slowly, as though a fog was lifting, understanding came to her and she fell into his arms. Ron wrapped his arms around her protectively as she shook with tearless sobs. The couple stayed in their embrace for several minutes, taking comfort in the return of the other.

"Kim we need to get out of here." He pulled back to look at her. A smile formed on his face for the first time in a long time, Kim was asleep. The events of the last few minutes not to mention the last 6 months had caught up with her. Hooking his arm under her legs he stood and strode out of the cell. Moving quickly he made his way back to the elevator in time to see the doors closing.

"Man I hope that was someone small." Kim groaned slightly as he shifted her so he could push the button. "Hang in there KP." She murmured something before burying her face into his neck.

The floor rolled under his feet at that moment and he almost dropped her. A sharp crack followed as the floor shook again. "Sounds like GJ showed up. Come on you stupid elevator." It responded with a chime and the door slide open. "Hmph, not the smartest way to travel in the middle of a bombing but I don't really have many options." The lift swayed from side to side as several more explosions rocked the upper levels.

Several moments later the doors opened depositing the two on the ground floor. Rubble and smoke filled the area with the orange hue of fire down several corridors.

"Thank god you made it. This whole place is coming down." The little scientist said appearing out of the smoke.

"What are you still doing in here? I told you to get out."

"No you told us to take the elevator up and wait for GJ."

"Gah, fine lets just…" Ron's voice trailed off as he came to a stop. The scientist stopped next to him.

"What's wrong?" He watched as the young man's expression went from nervous determination to cold stone.

"Take her." The short man looked confused for a moment until he realized he was being handed Kim.

"What?"

"Get out of here, now!" The man looked down the corridor for the first time and saw a woman standing among the rubble. The green flame left nothing to doubt as to who it was standing down the hall, Shego.

A/N Well there you go the latest chapter of Time Marches and yeah things are about to hit the fan.


	7. Chapter 6

Ron stood glaring at the woman that had helped take so much from him. He could feel the anger rising up in him. The anger to extract revenge, to do horrible things, to hurt those that had hurt him. Normally he fought it down but now he was having trouble finding a reason why he should.

"My, aren't we looking rather heroic today." Shego rested her hand on her hip, totally unconcerned with the man standing before her. "What's the matter, cat got your tongue?" She taunted, not only with her words but her posture.

He continued to gaze at her unblinking. Shego would always consider herself an extremely dangerous woman but the look she was getting began to unnerve her. She decided to throw one more barb to see if that would shake his focus.

"Well you don't seem to be much fun today."

"Fun?" The word slipped out almost as a question. Ron seemed to consider the word for a moment. If possible his expression darkened further. "I'll show you fun." His eyes narrowed into slits.

His movements were balanced and precise as he stalked towards Shego. Deciding that the best defense was a good offense she lunged at him. Her right fist passed through the area his head had just been occupying. The punch was a feint as she expected him to dodge the blow. However she anticipated that he would retreat, instead he simply ducked. In a flash Shego found herself on the defensive as she received a vicious blow to her stomach.

Staggering back several steps she sucked in several gulps of air. Glaring at him she straightened herself and proceeded to move around him, eyeing him carefully. The two danced around one another, both testing the others skills. As they moved Ron found himself stepping into and out of piles of debris, his footing was poor at best.

Shego grinned evil as she saw her opening. Driving down with an overhead chop she was once again surprised to find that Ron was not where he should have been. This time he stepped up into her planting an uppercut on the tip of her chin. Her head snapped back standing her straight up, the next moment folded over as an elbow was driven into her ribs.

She swayed back for a moment before dropping to a knee. Those hits had hurt her, far more then anything that Kim had landed. Then of course she wasn't fighting Kim. She was surprised that there was no follow up to the hits. Cautiously she rubbed her jaw and looked over at her opponent.

"Impressive." The word had barely left her lips when she pivoted on her left leg and struck out with the right.

The leg sweep missed as Ron quickly stepped over it using the step to launch himself into a roundhouse. Shego continued to spin and just catching the attack out of the corner of her eye. Both of her arms shot up and caught the leg moments before it would have hit. Her ever present smile widened as she twisted quickly, pulling Ron off his feet. Using the momentum of the twist she threw him towards the far wall.

His wind left him for a moment as he crashed into the wall several feet off the ground. Landing in a heap he took a second to collect himself, which was all the time that Shego was going to allow him. The next several minutes were a flurry of kicks and punches as the dark haired merc found out that they were evenly matched. It ended with Ron jumping clear of their little fray.

"What can't take the heat?" The question was filled with sarcasm.

Ron planted his feet and leapt towards her, his arms stretched out before him. While Shego was surprised by his choice of attack but grinned inwardly as she was going to take advantage of his poor decision. She shifted her weight forward as she prepared to catch him in midair and send him once again into the wall.

Normally combatants would have had a good feel for one another at this point in a fight but Ron's fighting style was anything but predictable. A full body length before he reached her he grabbed an exposed pipe causing his upper body to hang while his lower half accelerated towards Shego. Pivoting on the pipe his legs snapped up catching her once again in the chin. This time instead of her head snapping back she was flung into a pile of debris. Landing with a heavy thud she lay still.

Dropping down Ron approached the non moving Shego carefully. His caution was well founded. With a quick kip up she brought a fist towards him. Instinct protected him as he brought up is arm for the block. However Ron was not the only one with trick attacks. Shego never intended to land the blow, instead as his arm came up to block she grabbed it.

"You lose, sidekick."

Her hand was immediately engulfed in green flame, which flared brightly as she powered up. She was expecting several things to occur but curiously none did. Instead of him screaming and trying to get away he simply stood there looking at her. It was then that she noticed the blue flame holding hers at bay. Her eyes lit up with shock as she looked back into his face. Blue flashed in his eyes for a moment sending Shego into a brief panic. The panic was short lived as Ron connected with a final punch to her midsection. Air along with consciousness was driven from her.

Ron was far from finished with her though. He bent down and cruelly grabbed a fist full of her hair.

"Where's that pompous attitude now?" He sharply wracked her head against the wall. "Huh!? What's the matter not conscious enough to answer?" Anger seethed from him.

Still holding her by the hair Ron proceeded to drag her to the main lair. His way was blocked by the ever present over sized door. Being in no mood to deal with anything but the targets of his rage he snapped his leg towards the door.

Metal groaned and bent under the blow before tearing free from its mounts. He peered into the semi-darkness of the room. Caring little for what might be laying in wait he strode in. Upon reaching the center of the room he dumped his load.

"Your top dog is down Drakken, show yourself." He slowly turned scanning the room as his eyes adjusted. "NOW!"

"Ah so the buffoon is trying to play the hero now. It matters little though for you are too late." Drakken said as he appeared in a small control room located part way up one of the walls. "With a flip of this switch every electronic device in the world will be rendered to nothing more then smoldering sludge. Then the world will…" He stopped in mid rant as he realized that Ron was laughing. "What's so funny?"

"You seem to think that I came here to stop you from doing what ever idiotic plan you've come up with. Frankly I don't care about any of that. I came here for you, period." The ice in his voice was apparent.

"Well then I guess I should just…fry you now." His hand slapped down on a rather large button in front of him activating a rather large ray gun in the room. "Good bye."

The weapon powered up and fired faster then most of his previous ones but it didn't lack any of the punch. A cloud of superheated gas and debris covered the area that Ron had been standing in. Drakken stood in shock that the weapon had actually managed to fire.

"I did it. I did it? I mean of course I did it. I'm a super genius and nothing can stand in my way. Now it's time to show the world that I am in charge." As he was about to through the switch something caught his eye.

Look back out into the room he was at a loss. Ron stood right where he had been when the ray fired. There was a crater surrounding him, the ground had been vaporized and ripped up. He was however unharmed by the destruction.

"I don't understand." Drakken stammered.

"Mystical Monkey Power. Allow me to demonstrate." Ron said opening his eyes.

His foot contacted the floor pulverizing the stone under and around it. A fissure shot out along the floor and up the wall, tearing both open like a zipper. Drakken had just enough time to dive for cover before his control room exploded in a shower of glass, metal, and stone. By the time he looked up Ron was standing above him.

"What are you?" His voice cracking with the question.

"No one to be trifled with." Energy crackled in his eyes. Drakken whimpered as Ron bent down. "I should kill you for what you have done, but I'm not an executioner and you are not worth the weight on my soul."

He drew back and smashed his fist into Drakken's nose shattering it. Drakken looked up at him through teary and surprised eyes.

"I won't kill you but I have no problem hurting you."

With that he grabbed the blue skinned scientist and tossed him out of the ruined face of the control room and to the floor below. Global Justice Agents began spilling into the room at that moment, quickly surrounding and slapping cuffs on Drakken.

Ron strode through the group ignoring both the looks of surprise and admiration alike, he didn't care about either. In the corridor rubble littered the ground causing agents and prisoners to watch where they stepped.

He continued on his path out of the lair brushing off those that tried to talk to him. There was something far more important that he had to do. In the open ground just below the entrance sat what he was looking for.

The medical chopper was a buzz of activity as wounded moved to it. Kim looked much better then she had earlier. One of the medics had washed most of the dirt from her and placed her into some fresh clothes. Ron stood watching as they attached an IV then strapped her to a back board.

"She's going to be fine physically. She's dehydrated and malnourished but nothing to serious." The medic spoke not looking up from his work.

Ron climbed in with her as the chopper spun up. When the doors closed his energy drained from him and he clung to her and cried.


	8. Chapter 7

Here it is the final chapter to this story. I want to thank everyone who has taken the time to read it and to those who left reviews. I do feel bad that it has taken me so long to get this posted and I want everyone to know that this is really the way I intended to end it, length and all. Enjoy.

* * *

Ron looked out over the yard in front of him. It was bright and sunny with just a few small clouds floating by. By all things considered a very peaceful day and yet he was not at ease. He picked up his glass a small ring of water pooled around the base showing just how warm the day was. Taking a small sip he placed the drink back on the table, his eyes however never left the three individuals out in front of him. They continued to laugh and run around the yard enjoying weather.

"Why such a down look Ron?" The older mans voice carried the distance between them and no further.

"Hmm oh it's nothing really."

"Nothing huh, looks like something if you ask me." Mr. Dr. Possible leaned back in his chair having set down his own drink. "Out of everyone here I would have expected you to be the happiest." Ron blanched at the comment.

"I'm not…it's just that…" He sighed. "I am happy, don't get me wrong. Getting Kim back was the greatest thing I could imagine." The smile that crept onto his face was genuine. "It's just that the cost for everything was, high."

"Kimmie is going to be fine Ron. It has only been two months and you would hardly be able to tell anything had ever happened to her." At that moment Kim who had been chasing her brothers stumbled slightly. "Well most of the time."

"I'm not talking about that, well I mean I am sort of, but that isn't all. It cost me a lot. I…" Ron pressed his lips together unsure of whether to go on. Mr. Possible turned to look at Ron urging him to continue. "I went there to Drakken's lair with the sole intent of killing him and Shego. Then when I found Kim I was relieved for a second before the anger came back, worse then it was before because I knew that they hadn't killed her they had tortured her."

The arm of the chair under Ron's had cracked. He glanced down at it and noticed his knuckles were white from his grip. Opening his hand he placed it in his lap and flexed it a couple of times. His jaw was also tight from the memories of that day. He took several deep breathes to calm himself. Through it all Mr. Possible just sat and waited, knowing that Ron need to do this on his own. A few minutes later Ron continued.

"I no longer wanted to kill them you see. That was too easy for them. I wanted to beat them, break their bones, and bruise their bodies. I wanted to torture them like that had tortured Kim." He buried his face into his hands. "I'm supposed to be a hero, one of the good guys and instead I went out and hurt them for no reason besides revenge."

"Ronald. You were put into a situation most adults would never have to think about let alone face. On top of that you have the ability to do far more then they would." He pause a moment to reflect before continuing. "I won't lie to you. You stumbled but you feel remorse for what you did and that says a lot. I'm not telling you to forget what happened. It is part of the experiences that make you who you are. You will need to learn from it and draw on it. Use the memory of what you did to keep yourself centered."

They sat looking at each other for a moment.

"You are not an evil person. You are a person and are subject to the same emotions as everyone else."

One of the twins went sprinting by with the other right behind him. Kim was trotting after them but stopped when she got next to Ron.

"What are you two talking about?"

"Not a thing KimmieCub." Her dad smiled up at her. She looked over at Ron and misread his expression.

"Dad you aren't threatening him with a trip on a deep space probe are you." Despite how he was feeling Ron broke out into a smile.

"No KP nothing like that. Just talking about how much school I've got to make up now."

"Oh well, we'll get you through it." Ron reached out and laced his fingers in with hers.

"I know you will."

Kim sat down on his lap as they enjoyed the rest of the day. Things would never be the way they had been but they knew that would have happened in life regardless.


End file.
